Secuestro (Mala Muerte)
"Secuestro" is the fifth episode of Season 1 of Mala Muerte. It is the fifth episode overall. It premiered on October 23, 2019. Synopsis Rodrigo gets help. Laura tries to know what happens. Roberto faces her past. Plot Rodrigo watched through the window the buildings of Ciudad Vieja, while his father drove in silence. They spent time together, and Rodrigo wondered why they had gone out for a walk. After a few hours they arrive at a strange winery located near the La Plata river, where there were several containers. Rodrigo asks his father what they do there. "Vení, hijo, I will show you," Roberto says with a smile and begins to walk. Rodrigo observes his father and follows him, unsure of his intentions. And when more he advanced, more he felt intimidated by that building. It wasn't a fancy place, it was old, with broken walls and some broken windows. Finally, they arrive at the enormous door, where Roberto approaches two robust men to speak to them. "Hi, Pelado, Papo, how are you?" He greets them. Both men respond kindly, and then put all their attention on Rodrigo. "That's your son?" One of the men asks. He was fatter than the other and a double chin jutted out under his chin. "He is like you," the fattest man mentions. His most characteristic feature was the absence of hair on his head. Roberto nods and watches Rodrigo. "They are El Papo and El Pelado, my best employees," he introduces them, pointing to each one. "My brother and I have worked with your father since our youth, when we were seventeen," that man nicknamed as El Pelado smiled, watching him with a sinister smile. "Employees of what?" Rodrigo asks to his father, confused and a little uncomfortable about the presence of those two men. Those two men smiled, which bothered Rodrigo. His father approached him and patted his back. "We explain you inside," Roberto says, then walk into the cellar. The other two men followed him, and Rodrigo was forced to do so too. That was his first encounter with his father's hidden world, an illegal world full of actions that would bristle anyone's skin. And for a long time, he felt guilty about participating in that, he could hardly look to his mother and his wife to the eyes. Until one day he found a perfect addiction. During the day he worked and helped his father with whatever he needed, and at night he visited those glamorous places where men could free themselves and maintain relationships with others of the same class, others mans. Only then could he bear that heavy burden and release all his stress. "And what are we waiting for to rescue them?" Rodrigo asks while walking in circles, completely anxious. Romina had told him everything that had happened, the arrival of those bandits, even what she was forced to do to defend herself. The memory of the body of that man still tormented her. But what she didn't tell him was what happened to his mother when she discovered that her husband was cheating on her, she decided to keep it to avoid problems. Although she knew it was wrong. "And what do you want to do? Knock on the door and kindly ask them to free your family?" Florencia says sarcastically. "We also don't know where they take them." Romina looked down, worried about her family and especially her mother. She knew that her mother is a strong woman, buts he didn't know what she was going to do if she lost her mother. With everything that was going on, those infected, the least she wanted was to be alone. Rodrigo keep silent for a moment, until he watches Gerónimo. "I know where they can be," Rodrigo says. Everyone watched him surprised. Florencia approaches him and asks. "Where and how?" "My father had told me about his... alternative work. He wanted me to be his successor," Rodrigo explains, looking down. "And you know why that man was angry at tío Roberto?" Romina asks him. Rodrigo is silent for a few moments and sighs, doubting whether or not to tell them what he knows. "Che, do you know that you have two bodies in the backyard?" Victoria asks, interrupting the moment. Romina watches her surprised, and at the same time feeling sorry. "Two bodies?" Rodrigo asks. "Yes, and apparently one of them is the skinny man who was with that Pelado when they were chasing us," Victoria explains, crossing her arms and looking down. "It seems he was attacked and someone had to give him mercy," Victoria sighs. "Do that make you sad?" Florencia asks her. "I don't know, my head hurts a lot. Today was a very hard day," Victoria sighs, then approaches the couch and sits on it. Rodrigo observes Romina, who seemed to look sad and sorry. "What's up, Romi?" He asks. "I still think," she responds without observing it. "About what?" Florencia asks. "I never thought I would do something like that, I don't even understand how I did it. I just did it, I stuck that machete on his back and... I left him alone," Romina explains, looking down at the floor while shaking her head. Her eyes get wet as if he were about to cry. Rodrigo sighs and watches his cousin with compassion, then approach her to give her a hug. "You have nothing to worry about, they are bad people and you did it on your own," Rodrigo says. "I also killed someone," Victoria says, approaching her. "Well, I don't know if they was alive or dead, but I did it to save Rodrigo," she sketches a soft smile and looks the girl in the eye. Romina sighs after the hug, and watches Rodrigo and Victoria. "Thank you, gurises," she thanks them with a smile. "And apparently, the infected are not alive," she explains, changing her expression of sadness to a more serious one. "How?" Rodrigo asks, confused. "I don't know how to explain it, but they stopped living when they were infected," Romina explains. "And if they stopped living, how do they keep walking?" Gerónimo asks. "Guys, remember that our family is in danger. Are we not going to do anything to help them?" Florencia intervenes, speaking sarcastically as she approaches them. “Our family?” Rodrigo ask to her, watching her with surprise. “Your parents are my family too, bro,” Florencia says, crossing her arms. "Florencia is right, we also know where they are," Rodrigo nods. "Where?" Romina asks curiously. "In an old winery in Ciudad Vieja, near the port," Rodrigo explains. "And what is our plan?" Victoria asks. "I think my father hid some weapons in the house," Rodrigo says, looking around. "Are you crazy?!" Florencia intervenes, walking towards him with the frowning man. "Do you think we are cops?" She asks, crossing her arms. "Besides, we're only five people," Romina points out. Rodrigo was about to speak, when suddenly the sound of a vehicle coming from the street is heard. Quickly everyone prepares to defend themselves, in case it is someone dangerous. They begin to hear several shots, which shakes them even more. "What do we do?" Victoria asks, hiding behind the armchair next to Rodrigo and Florencia. "If it's them, we have to defend ourselves," Rodrigo says. Steps begin to be heard towards the entrance, when suddenly a voice calls them. "Romi, are you there?!" It was a masculine voice. Romina quickly left her hiding place when she realized who it was. "Matías!" She exclaimed with joy. The others left their hiding place, confused, as they watched the girl hug a big blond boy. Next to him was another boy, but he had black hair. "Leo, you also came," Romina smiled when she saw the other boy, separating from her friend to hug him too. "Who are they?" Rodrigo asks, observing the two boys with suspicion and intrigue. "My name is Matías and he is my boyfriend Leo, we are members of the militia. We are here to pick up all the survivors and take care of the infected," the blond boy introduced himself with a smile, shaking Rodrigo's hand. "Did you come to help us?" Florencia asks, surprised. "Yes, Dr. Cristina and the colonel Puentes are preparing a shelter for the survivors," Matías explains. "A shelter? Where is it?" Victoria asks, curious. "On the outskirts of the city, near Canelones," Leo explains. Everyone watches each other, wondering what to do at that time and if they should ask these military for help. If they were here, it was for something. Rodrigo watches Romina for approval, to which she nods. "Our family has been kidnapped," Rodrigo says, approaching Matías. Matías nods. "We know, Romina explained everything to us. Do you need help?" He asks. "Yes, please," Rodrigo nodded, pleading with his eyes. "Okay, then we should go," Leo says, walking towards the door. "Where we go?" Florencia asks, confused. "At our temporary base, that's where our superiors and Dr. Cristina are," Matías explained with a smile. Rodrigo and Romina looked at each other, as if they were wondering if they should go or not. They ended up nodding, for there was no point in denying their help after asking. The group follows the two young soldiers to their vehicle. It is a military truck, suitable for carrying several people. The two young military men get in the cabin, while the others get in the back. And once they are all up, the young soldiers started the vehicle and started driving. Laura opens her eyes slowly, finding herself in a kind of wet and dirty room. A large puddle of water stretched in front of the metal door, while iron pipes collected the corners of the entire room. At her side was her husband, who seemed weakened due to the beating she had received. Valeria was also there, completely terrified. On the other hand, Alejandro and Candelaria seemed to remain calm while they lay on the wall, looking around. "How do we get out of here?" Valeria asks, walking in circles while biting a nail. "You don't have to do anything reckless, we need a plan," Alejandro says. "I can't believe those pelotudos have locked me here with you," Candelaria complains, regretting the moment when she realized how bad her phrase sounded. Her serious face turned into a fake smile. "It's not that it bothers me to be with you, of course, but I can't stand this situation," she says with a tone of false kindness. Laura sighs, stroking her forehead and then approaching her husband and seeing her status. "You're good?" She asks, while her husband lets out some groans of pain. "Yes, don't worry. I just have a headache, but it's not the big deal," Roberto replies, settling in place while looking around. Laura keeps silence and looks down. "I still care about you," she says in a low voice, almost cracking. Roberto sighs and watches his wife with regret. "It's been a while since ours had stopped working," he says, leaning his head on the wall and closing his eyes. Laura looks down, sighs and nods as she tries to control the tears that begin to fall from her eyes. It makes no sense to continue denying it after everything that happened, she knows she can't control her anger. Something is wrong with her head and she knows she needs help, because she can't keep hurting people. Suddenly, they feel footsteps coming from behind the door and the sound of keys. Someone opens the door and lets himself be seen, he was a dark-haired man and a strange hairstyle. Behind him comes El Pelado, with a sinister smile on his face. "Bring it to me," he orders his henchman, who quickly enters the room and grabs Roberto. "What do you want to do with him?" Laura asks, trying to grab her husband so they won't take him away. "Laura, calm, everything will be fine," Roberto sketches a soft smile to try to calm his wife, who watched the situation with fear. El Pelado's henchman took Roberto away, without him opposing resistance. And when the three left, the room fell silent. It was already dark when they reached the temporary base of the military, being a thin orange strip that bordered the horizon the last vestige of daylight. Everyone was afraid of what might happen at night, wondering if it would be more dangerous to deal with the infected. While Matías introduced them to the camp, Romina could not help stopping to look. It consisted of about eight tents surrounded by several large vehicles and different artifacts. Everything was colored with different shades of green, typical of the military. The more they advanced, the more she could feel the strange look of the military, as if they didn't want them to be there. However, there was a presence that caught everyone's attention. It was a black-haired woman who wore a white coat and wore red gloves on her hands. It seemed to be mixing some substances on a small table with several test tubes on top. "Who is she?" Romina asked her friend, pointing to that woman. "She is Dr. Cristina, a virologist who is helping us," Matías explained with a proud smile. Suddenly they heard the voice of a man calling him. "Matías, what are you doing?!" He shouts. Matías makes a small jump, nervously watching the man who had called him. He was tall and muscled, had black hair and eyes with a firm and serious look that could shake anyone. "We brought more survivors, sir!" Matías stiffened just like her boyfriend, and they both made the military salute when the man approached. The man observed them first to the young military, and then directed his gaze towards the group. He kept silent for a few moments, causing everyone to get nervous, until he smiled. "Well done, guys!" The man exclaimed, patting the backs of both young men. "Who is he?" Florencia asks, confused. "Call me Carlos, I'm the one in charge of this group," The man introduced himself, pointing around him. "And who are you?" He asks them, smiling. "She is my best friend, Romina. The tall boy is her cousin, Rodrigo. The young woman is his wife, Florencia. And the other two ... I don't know, they are other survivors," Matías introduced each one pointing at them. "How do you know who we are?" Rodrigo asks, surprised. "And I am Victoria, and he is Gerónimo, so you know," Victoria says sarcastically, crossing her arms with an offended look. Carlos stopped to watch everyone again. "Too bad you're gay, she's a very pretty girl," she says smiling, while watching Romina. Then he watches Leo and makes a satisfied face. "Although your boyfriend isn't that bad either, he's one of my best guys," he says, patting her back. Then he moves away a little from the small group. "Enjoy the camp while you can, because we will leave soon. We have water, food and clean clothes," he explains, and then leaves. "What a weird guy," Romina mutters, a little disgusted by the man's comments. "He's like that, he has a pretty... peculiar personality," Matías says, scratching the back of his neck with an awkward smile on his face. Rodrigo sighs. "Okay, and when can we go help my family?" He asks, approaching Matías with a completely serious face. Matías looks down, then observes his superior from afar. "I'll have to ask her, but I don't know if she'll let us do it," he says sadly, watching his boyfriend. "You said you would help us!" Romina pleads and approaches him, watching him with disappointment and sadness. "If it's because of that Carlos, I can talk to him," Rodrigo says, approaching his cousin. Matías is silent for a few seconds, then watches her boyfriend to watch Rodrigo again. "Okay," he nods, but his gaze showed some insecurity. Rodrigo smiles and then walks to where Carlos was. "Excuse me, sir, we need your help," he says, watching him seriously. Carlos turns around and watches the boy curiously. "What happens?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. "My family is in danger, my parents and my uncles were kidnapped by criminals and I need to go rescue them," Rodrigo explains, trying to sound as calm and serious as possible. Carlos watches the boy seriously and then nods. "It's okay, I understand. Our mission is to help all survivors," he says, starting to walk while Rodrigo follows. "We will leave tomorrow morning, so they have time to go now. You can ask Matías and Leo for help," he says, smiling. "Thank you!" Rodrigo smiles in relief, shaking hands with the man. "Luck," Carlos says, watching the boy seriously. Rodrigo returns with his group with a smile on his face, while they watched him curiously. "What did he say?" Romina asks. "He said yes," Rodrigo nods with a smile. "And besides you can help us," he says, pointing to Matías and Leo. "Okay, that was quickly," Leo nods, surprised. "No problem, but do you know where we have to go?" Matías asks curiously. Rodrigo nods. "It's a winery near Ciudad Vieja," he explains. "It's a bit far, but I think we can go," Matías says. "We're going to prepare the vehicle," Leo says, turning around to walk with her boyfriend to her vehicle. "Are we all going?" Romina asks. "I want to stay," Florencia says, crossing her arms. "Me too," Gerónimo says, backing away. "I go, I have no problem," Victoria says, taking a step forward. "I want to go too," Romina says, approaching Rodrigo. "Are you sure? I think it would be better if you stay," Rodrigo says, watching her with concern. "I can handle it," Romina watches Rodrigo seriously. Rodrigo nods, and then watches Florencia. "Take care," he says, watching them with a small smile. Florencia and Gerónimo nods, and Rodrigo turns around to walk to where Matías and Leo were. "Very well, where are we going?" Carlos suddenly appears with a backpack, getting into the vehicle. "Do you come with us?" Matías asks, surprised. "Of course! This camp has boring me, I want some fun," Carlos says, sketching an arrogant smile. Rodrigo sighs and watches the sun that is about to hide, while Romina and Victoria get in the car. Despite looking calm, inside he suffered from nervousness. I didn't know what I was going to find, and I was afraid something bad would happen. El Pelado and his henchman took Roberto down the hall. While listening to his own steps and the drops falling, he watched with curiosity that new henchman. "I don't know this one," Rodrigo says, pointing to the henchman. "He is El Bicho, the son of a deceased friend," El Pelado explains, as he continued walking. The three arrived in another room. It was empty except for a chair in the center, just below a lamp, and a table in the background with different tools. Roberto quickly realized what they wanted to do with him. "You're going to torture me," he says after putting the first foot in the room, turning to watch El Pelado face to face. "It doesn't surprise me, this is what we did when we couldn't negotiate," Roberto smiles. El Pelado lets out a laugh, and then orders him to sit on the chair. Roberto walks quickly to the chair and sat down, then observes his two captors. "What are they going to do with me?" He asks. "You're going to pay for what you did," El Pelado says, approaching the table at the bottom. Roberto stops smiling to watch El Pelado sideways. "I always knew you were going to turn against me," he sighs. El Pelado grabs a clamp and approaches Roberto. "This is only the beginning… I want you to suffer. I want every piece of your body to feel the pain that I felt when you forced me to do it. The unimaginable pain of losing your own brother, and being the one who ended his life, "he says, while his voice shaking and his eyes full of anger and sadness. Roberto observes him surprised, and then feels the clip cut his finger. He couldn't help letting out a heartbreaking scream, while tears fell from his eyes. Cast Starring *Inés Estévez as Laura Fernández *Chino Darín as Rodrigo Fernández *Ricardo Darín as Roberto Fernández *Érica Rivas as Valeria Fernández *Guillermo Francella as Alejandro Guzmán *Natalia Oreiro as Dr. Cristina Hernández *Luisana Lopilato as Florencia Pérez *Natalie Pérez as Victoria *Lorenzo Ferro as Gerónimo Rodríguez *Ángela Torres as Romina Fernández *and Moria Casán as Candelaria Maximilián Guest Starring *Julio Chávez as El Pelado *Roly Serrano as El Papo *Luciano Castro as Coronel Carlos Puentes *Nicolás Riera as Matías Barreto *Facundo Gambandé as Leo *Abel Ayala as El Bicho Deaths *None Your Rating How would you rate Secuestro as a whole? If it's a low score, I'd love to hear why in the comments. 10/10 9/10 8/10 7/10 6/10 5/10 4/10 3/10 2/10 1/10 0/10 Notes *Soledad is absent and is not credited in the episode. *First appearance of El Papo (Flashback). *First appearance of El Bicho. Trivia *"Secuestro" means "Kidnapping" in Spanish. Category:Mala Muerte